The Unforeseen Fate of a Darkened One
by CLDJendis66
Summary: (Continues after the anime and comic of SonicX) Sonic the Hedgehog and the gang enjoy the peace they work hard to keep on their planet by dealing with egghead Dr. Eggman. However, it's become a target by someone possibly far worse, just as Nica the Hedgehog appears. Who is she? Is she involved? Will she become their ally or enemy? Read on and find out...
1. Preface

Preface

Tears fell upon the sand as she looked at him. He was barely breathing as he lay still on the ground, weakened by their weapons as she was.

In an instant they'd been defeated, but for what purpose?

The cameras upon the weapons notified the creatures upon the elevated ship the result of the battle before a command was soon given to capture Sonic in his current state.

"No!" cried Nica as she struggled to stand before she swiftly went over to him and positioned her violet colored form in front of him.

"Why do you protect him, when there's no point in trying?" boomed a voice from the ship.

"B-b-b-because he's special to me, so stay away!"

"He's the perfect subject to test on from what I've calculated, so I need him."

"Well then t-take me instead!"

"Why would I bother to even consider that?"

"I'm standing here talking to you, but he's not. It's obvious that I'm stronger than him."

"Hm…You've proven your point, but I'll only agree under one condition."

"What is it?"

"Neither of you are to ever be able to recall this or each other's existence."

She looked back at Sonic and immediately made her decision. "Alright, do it."

The weapons that had brought their defeat approached them before switching into electromagnetic panels that surrounded their heads.

A needle was inserted into the back of their necks to inject a paralyzer into the spinal cord before powering the panels. Once activated, they rearranged their thoughts of the past and erased the memory of the battle without delay.

"Take her in and leave nothing to trigger suspicion."

The panels soon switched into claws that encaged Nica as she expressed no sort of resistance whatsoever. While they ascended towards the ship, another pair of machines expunged all evidence of the struggle.

Once completed, they joined the rest upon the ship and departed the planet.

x~X~x

Waves struck the shore as night approached with cool winds.

Sonic slowly left the world of oblivion to the scenery before him. He shook his head to clear his mind in an attempt to recall why he was there.

"Sonic?!"

"Mom?"

"Sonic?!"

"Mom, I'm here!"

Out of the woods to his left, his mother came running with the most worried expression on her face that he had ever seen. "I can't believe I found you," she cried as she fell to her knees and hugged him. "Your father and I thought we lost you."

Regret struck his heart, before he too, cried and embraced her.

She sniffed before she asked, "What were you even doing Sonic?"

"I…don't know. I think I fell asleep on the beach after running around. I-I-I'm sorry mom," he added before he continued to cry.

"It's alright…you're here now and…you're fine. That's what matters. Now come on, let's go tell your father," she clarified as she stood and took his hand.

"Okay mom," he agreed before he drew his attention towards the ocean.

What was I really doing here? He thought.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 _10 years later…_

The alarms screamed as the stability of the generators producing the shield outside the vessel began to alter rapidly from the vibrations caused by the sudden confrontation with a meteor shower.

Practically everyone was working to steady them, yet just as the creatures began to repair a heavily damaged one, a meteor struck the weakened area and destroyed what was left of the shield source.

"Secure everything; nothing is to be unlocked until it ends."

Unfortunately, one of the crafts most prized subjects had been unintentionally released the moment the generator was taken out. While the new one was rapidly being put in place, the chamber that had kept it asleep soon opened and unstrapped the prisoner. As it stumbled off, it took notice of its advantage and sped off.

The video cameras directly reported the situation to the commander of the vessel. "Prisoner 681995 has escaped again, do not allow them to leave and bring them to my section once the task is done."

Numerous devotees dispersed across the interior in search of the escapee, although from times before, she knew where to hide.

Just not as well from the cameras: which hastily transferred the directions to her position. Once it was known that aid would not come in time, the walls were rapidly activated to use the hidden weapons to strike the prisoner.

She tried to avoid entering, however the female figure following her forced her to just as she caught up and struck her as soon as the walls did.

"You know," stated the figure as it punched and was blocked, "you can't," it said as it averted a round house kick and bullets by flipping backwards, "escape."

"Just,"started the prisoner kicked at her enemy again while avoiding lazer shots, "try me," they exclaimed as they dodged a herd of punches, "this time."

As they neared the end of the hall of risk, they were able to move more freely and Nica immediately took the advantage to use her speed against her. "Remember my abilities Lezzet?"

"Of course I do," she answered as the orange feline took out a strange hair pin and aimed it at her. "But I do learn ways on how to take down my opponents."

Consequently, the object electrified Nica as she tried to attack her before losing her balance and falling face first. "Ungh…"

When she tried to stand, she hit her again.

"I think you're at a disadvantage hedgehog," she declared as she looked down at her in triumph. "How cruel of you: to underestimate me."

She lied still as her enemy closed in before she took the chance to strike her hard on the neck. Lezzet quickly collapsed next to her, unconscious. "Thanks for underestimating me too," mentioned Nica as she dragged her motionless body to a secure area.

x~X~x

The ship had changed its course to avoid further impact and focus on repairs. Several hours passed as many looked for the missing subject, except none could locate her. "Why are you all dawdling around?!"

"Sir, we're trying, but-"

"Just find her! Release _them_ if you have to! In the meantime, the craft will start to travel back to the original route."

"You heard the order, now open up the cases!" commanded one of the followers as they took out a small box and clicked it open before an abundance of tiny metallic beings began to crawl out in search of their target.

Spider hounds.

She knew it would be instances to finding her and that the options she had were to be captured or to not allow it. The second choice was always difficult to achieve for she had never known where the emergency escape transporters were.

Except for the emergency exit.

She'd discovered it the last time she'd escaped before they caught her and put her back to sleep. Now she had to try to recall where it was before she made a wrong turn and cornered herself.

They slowly closed in on her swift form as she searched the interior. The creatures were also following and took advantage of blocking any paths away from her goal in case her try backfired.

Screeching to a halt, several seconds were taken to figure out how to disengage the door, even though it didn't look like one.

Everyone was beginning to surround her just as she stepped out, but not before she was shot in the spine with a cylinder attached to three needles as the green compound inside hurriedly entered her system.

At the other end of it was a wire connected to a hairpin, yet it belonged to a different feline, a gray one this time: Mirage.

Nica silently screamed as she first went motionless and comatose the next before disconnecting with the object and falling into a planet's atmosphere.

Which happened to be her home and no one followed after her.

x~X~x

Without control over her body, she simply drifted through the sky like a rag doll with no conscious sight of her landing.

Somehow, she was also lost within her mind; she was unable to recall what had occurred or anything before that.

All she could draw was a blank.

What's going on? She thought.

x~X~x

"Hey, guys!" called out a yellow fox as he flew an immense machine known as the X-Tornado above the ones he was referring to.

"What's up?" asked a bright blue hedgehog.

The black one that had been running next to him, slowed as well to hear the sudden news.

"Something strange just showed up on the screen, but I have no idea what it is. Can you guys check it out? I've still got some repairs to do on the X Tornado."

"Alright then."

"Just give us the location bud."

"It's SE, hang on let me zoom in," he responded as he clicked some more buttons to change the view, "by High Rise beach. Sorry, Sonic."

He immediately gulped at the sound of the name.

"If you're too afraid to move, I could handle the situation myself instead."

"Should I bother thanking you for the motivation Shadow?"

Tails simply sighed at their arguing, "Well, while you guys settle on what to do, I'll start heading back to the lab." The second right after, the monitor quickly alerted that whatever had been falling had finally landed. "You better do it now."

x~X~x

The sprays from the enormous splash nearly touched the clouds by several miles before they rapidly went the opposite direction from the force of gravity.

The ocean's waves dragged her down towards the depths as her breath slowly left her.

It's cold, she thought as she managed to compel her eyelids open to view a blurred world.

However, she wasn't swimming, she was drowning.

Come on! Move for crying out loud! She thought.

At the pace her recovery was going, she'd be dead before she managed to catch another breath of air.

Unexpectedly, something seized her by the back hem of her shirt and pulled her to the surface. She soon found herself dangling above the water before noticing an obese man inside a floating craft with a needle below it face down as she coughed to catch some air.

"Who…are…you?"

"My dear, I ought to be asking you this question."

"I…I don't…know."

"What kind of response is that? You mean you don't even know your own name?"

He's getting at something, and I'm not liking it, she thought.

"Why are you so interested?"

"Who wouldn't be curious of an object that has fallen from so far above?"

I mean I could use her to my advantage if she possesses some sort of ability, thought the evil genius.

"Well I can definitely assure you that I'm not an alien if you were wondering."

"Your sarcasm reminds me very much of someone I despise."

"Great to know."

In an instant, the screen between his controls advised him that his target was arriving. "Perfect."

The grip on the hem of her shirt soon tensed and lifted her even higher than before. "Hey! What's the idea?"

I hate being unable to move right now! She thought.

x~X~x

"Mirage!"

"Yes commander?" replied she through a speaker phone along the side of the hall she was in.

"Get me a sample to observe the progression."

A translucent two-dimensional rhombus upon its flattened side, slid out from beneath the speaker phone. She spun it slowly; looking for a certain switch to send out a scout to retrieve what was needed. "Here we are," she stated when she found it, "Done."

x~X~x

"What are you up to now egghead?!" cried Sonic from the cliff he was standing on, while Shadow stood close by.

"Oh Sonic, you've arrived just in time to meet the stranger of the planet. Sadly I don't have her name yet, but-"

The abrupt sound of a whoosh was caught by the ears of Sonic and Shadow before the source struck the claw that had been holding Nica above the surface and exploded. She shouted as she was thrown high into the air once again.

Dr. Eggman had been angered by the intrusion he believed to be from Tails and activated his latest creation. "See if you can defeat this, hedgehogs!"

The monstrous creature arose from below the surface with its snakelike body moving at different angles. It contained nine eyes with the largest one at the center upon the forehead and molars instead of teeth to crush whatever entered the mouth.

"Go!" ordered Shadow.

"Right!" agreed Sonic as he dashed off onto the water with the hover skates that Chris Thorndike had made for him.

"Chaos Control!" yelled Shadow after he took out the copy of a Chaos emerald and vanished from sight.

x~X~x

Why can't my body move?! Thought Nica.

Just as she stopped ascending, something struck through her left shoulder. She howled from the immediate agony coursing through her before it pulled itself out and left the scene.

What…was that? She thought.

Red liquid seeped into the stolen clothing she wore as she fell; yet she soon sensed someone close by, but was unable to tell whether they were an enemy or an ally.

Great, now who could that be? She thought.

It took only several seconds for Shadow to realize the gravity of her situation before taking hold of her and transporting them back to the beach.

x~X~x

"Sir, the sample has been retrieved," notified the grey feline as she guided the mechanism back to the vessel.

"Well done Mirage. Once it's on the vessel, conduct all the tests as discussed earlier."

"Yes sir, I will."

x~X~x

"You won't win this time. I created this machine to specifically work with water and battle you."

"Ungh," grunted Sonic as he ducked from the spikes being shot at him from the creature that activated this ability at different times in an attempt to catch him off guard.

"Surrender would be your best idea right now."

"Not a chance!" retorted Sonic as he stuck out his tongue at the villain and continued speeding around the creature, trying to find a weakness.

"Eerrgh, blasted hedgehog!"

Sonic detected Shadow's presence by the beach and called out to him, "Do you happen to have a ring with you?!" he yelled before he dodged another attack from the machine.

Dr. Eggman knew what he was planning and fired some missiles at Shadow to assure that the blue hedgehog wouldn't get the ring he needed to increase his power.

Shadow, while keeping hold of Nica, moved out of the way to avoid getting hit.

This is pathetic, he thought.

"I'm waiting!" shouted Sonic as he persisted in attacking the machine, while trying to distance himself from its chomping molars.

Once an opening was seen through all of the dust and sand, the black hedgehog checked for any traps the Doctor might have set, before throwing the ring.

Yet, the evil genius had been waiting above them the whole time and caught the loop of energy within a glass bubble. "Now I can figure out the secrets behind this."

Shadow realized his mistake. "Don't move," he told her as he snuck from the scene and went after the floating mechanism the villain was sitting in.

Sure...as if I'm planning to go anywhere in this state, she thought.

Dr. Eggman was so occupied with congratulating himself that he didn't take notice of the ring's sudden disappearance.

"Catch!" directed Shadow as he threw it towards Sonic.

"Finally!" he exclaimed, catching it in its path and conducting a Sonic Spin which increased his power to defeat the mechanical snake creature.

"Nooooooooo! My beautiful creation! This can't be happening!" wailed Dr. Eggman as he waved his arms in desperation for something to flip the turnout of the situation.

Once Sonic was done, he joined the other two before Shadow transported them from the area.

x~X~x

"Status," demanded the chief doctor of the ER as he wheeled in his latest patient.

"16 year old female, three puncture wounds at the back, source of blood loss, puncture wound at the left shoulder, unable to speak much and is experiencing paralyzation sir," rapidly replied the nurse next to him holding the as they turned a corner.

"Can you hear me? If you can, blink twice," told the doctor as he looked at her pupils with a flashlight.

She struggled, but managed to show that she understood what he was saying.

"Can you move? Blink once if no."

Her answer was no.

"Do you feel here?" he asked as he lightly touched the wound and saw her blink twice again.

"Okay that's good," he said to the nurse before turning back his attention to the patient. "Do you feel pain anywhere else?"

She blinked no before they reached one of the few surgical rooms in the hospital as they quickly set her up, injected the right amount of anesthesia and began the risky procedure to save the patient's arm from being amputated.

x~X~x

Tails immediately stopped his repairs on the X-Tornado when he became aware that they'd returned.

"What happened?"

"Honestly, I don't know. Egghead had some girl with him, he said she wasn't from here, then something fast came flying in and-"

"Exploded right?"

"Yeah, we lost sight of her for a few seconds before Shadow went after her and I dealt with the latest sparring partner egghead made."

"Wait, where's the girl and who is she?"

"We just left her at the hospital and we have no idea."

"Why is she at the hospital?"

"Because-"

"She was paralyzed and bleeding from the shoulder."

"Was it from the impact?"

"No. It was from something else."

x~X~x

Voices could be heard, at first they were muffled, then clear, and soon after mentioned something that made her want to believe she was dreaming.

Permanent paralyzation.

When they finally left the room, she opened her eyes to the darkness of it and stared at the ceiling.

This can't be happening, she thought.

x~X~x

Rays of light swayed upon her unmoving body as it slowly breathed. Somewhere in the night, she'd managed to fall asleep and rest before waking to the view of the silent room.

Now what? She thought.

Just as she began to grow tired of silence, the door slowly squeaked open as a female pink hedgehog came into the room wearing a red dress with a strip of white at the bottom rim that halted inches above her white socks and white striped red boots.

Her crimson headband revealed itself as she turned to close the door before approaching the bed side. "Hi there," she said trying to smile affably, but she knew that the stranger was suspicious of her.

"Who are you?"

"Amy Rose the hedgehog, but even with that I'm betting you don't trust me."

"How can I? You don't even know who I am and nor do I; let alone why I ended up on this planet in the first place."

She sighed at her resistance. "That's why I'm here, to tell you that something can be done about it."

"What are you keeping from me?"

Her question caught her off guard. "What are you talking about?"

"People don't just offer help out of nowhere without a reason."

I can't believe this; she's talking like an interrogator, thought Amy as she rolled her eyes. "If you're that curious, well, so are my friends. They want to know what it was that wounded your arm. "

"What about the fact that I can't move?"

"I can't guarantee that it'll be reversed, but-"

"You can try."

"Yeah."

Actually, it depends on if we can trust you, thought Amy.

"So what's your decision?"

Nica stared out the window before looking back at her. "I'll give it a shot, though…"

"What's wrong?"

"I highly doubt that I'll be going in a hospital gown."

"Well, your other clothing was too damaged to be recovered, so I brought you this," explained Amy as she lifted a pair of plain clothing.

Oh I'm hoping I don't regret this.

x~X~x

After completing the discharge papers, Nica was placed in a wheel chair and led out of the hospital under Amy's guidance.

"Are you going to roll me there all the way?"

"No, it's quite too far to go by foot. Shadow's going to take us there through a faster way."

"What does he look like?"

"You've met him; he's the one with black fur."

"Oh…"

"He's nearby, so it won't be long."

Even though she couldn't turn her head, she managed to notice him out of the corner of her eye by an isolate field, waiting for them as he leaned against one of the many trees surrounding the area.

"Took you long enough," he uttered when he saw them come. "Ready?"

Amy nodded and soon after, they headed to their next destination.

x~X~x

The rest of the group had every reason to suspect she was against them, which started with the fact that she'd been first spotted with their enemy known as Dr. Eggman as far as she knew.

At arrival, she was left alone to stare at what she could to pass the time, until the group settled on what to do with her.

Sound from the air vent then lowered to whispers.

Hm, she thought. I guess they figured that I'd be eavesdropping. No doubt that they may be watching me as well.

Yet, this didn't feel new to her.

x~X~x

"What are we supposed to do? Predict what side she's on?"demanded the red echidna with his arms now unfolded to demonstrate the gravity of the problem.

"I'm not sure. I mean we could analyze her DNA as a start and figure out what's causing the paralysis," replied Tails as he looked at the monitor that showed their current subject.

"What if she's lying about that?" he questioned once more.

"It's hard to tell Knuckles," responded Amy who was also staring at the monitor. "It'll only take a little while for the results to comeback."

"We can't just do nothing while we wait," he added as he turned his attention towards his rival.

"Guess we'll have to see," answered Sonic as he eyed Shadow, "What do you think?"

"We'll have to question her in the meantime then," he mentioned as he unfolded his arms and left the room with both the blue hedgehog and the yellow fox following after him.

x~X~x

The metallic door behind her creaked open, and two figures entered, while one remained by the opening.

She recognized Shadow, except not the yellow fox next to him until he approached her and introduced himself, "My name is Miles Tails Prower the fox. I'm the one who can figure out what's causing the paralyzation, but I need a blood sample."

Eying the syringe and realizing it was empty she said, "If that's all you'll need, then I guess it's fine."

Tails noticed how she took it rather cautiously, as if it had been done to her many times before with no good intention unlike now. He drew the blood, and left Shadow with Nica, while Sonic remained by the door.

"What did you hear?"

If she did, she may either lie or use it to her advantage, he thought.

"That I may possibly be your enemy because of the fact that I was seen with someone who already is."

"Why were you?"

She recalled the moment that caused the encounter. "I was falling from the sky before I landed in the water. Since I was paralyzed I couldn't swim. Something grabbed me from the back of my shirt and lifted me to the surface. After coughing out some water, I managed to see who it was that had saved me from drowning, which ended up being Dr. Eggman I believe."

He nodded and figured that she was probably the one that showed up on Tails' screen, but it could have been a simple made up story.

"Do you remember anything before that?"

Nothing came up in her mind. It was just a profound view of darkness.

"Actually no…"

The doubt was felt through the sprouting silence before the subject was changed.

x~X~x

"Tails are sure you want to go through with this?"

He nodded at the red echidna, while handling the blood sample with care.

"Amy, could you set up the electromagnetic microscope please?"

"Um…sure," she answered as she went to another area of the laboratory to prepare the machine.

"What are you expecting to find?"

"Let's just say nothing that'll be a cause of alarm, but-"

"We're not always that lucky."

"Yeah..."

After several moments, a newer tox-screen was completed; except the results were much different than the first time.

x~X~x

"What caused the injury to your arm?"

"After the blast, a thin metallic tube raced through the back of my shoulder, but I'm not sure what it was that it took from me."

"What were you conversing with the Doctor before then?"

"He was trying to figure out who I was, but I didn't say much because his kindness was a little awkward to convince me to trust him."

The activation of speakers was heard before a Tails' voice boomed through them, "Guys I found something."

x~X~x

Practically everyone was caught off guard by what the data revealed. The cause of the paralyzation was recognized, but it was from nowhere close to home, rather a planet they were quite familiar with.

"Ecstasy and Assassin's bug venom, I wouldn't have guessed that this was the mixture causing her inability to remember or move."

"So she hasn't been lying to us so far?"

"Apparently, but how did she get this into her system?"

"She could've eaten or been injected it unknowingly."

Amy's eyes hastily widened at the memory of the miniature bandages she'd seen on Nica's back. "Let me talk to her."

Everyone stared in curiosity at her sudden demand.

"What are you getting at Amy?"

"Just let me confirm something."

Someone's determined today, thought Sonic.

"Telling us now would make it easier to understand you know."

"Don't bother Knuckles," declared she, placing her hands on her hips. "Tails do I have your approval?"

x~X~x

The time slipped by slowly as she waited in the large metallic area, yet there was nothing she could do to distract herself from her worries of the past for there seemed be no files in her mind of anything before the crash.

In an instant, her eyesight began to fail her just as the pink hedgehog entered and sat in front of her. "We figured out what's causing the issue."

"Can it be…fixed?"

"Most likely, but what we don't know is-"

"How…is it…in me….in the first…place?"

x~X~x

From the other room Shadow noticed the sudden slowness of the response she'd given. "Something's wrong."

"I'll say."

Sonic rolled his eyes at Knuckles who was watching the screen with Shadow. Tails on the other hand, was attempting to produce a treatment that could reverse the effects of the paralyzation. The forgetfulness that the ecstasy was causing was not as capable of being repaired so rapidly.

x~X~x

"I think you were injected with it."

I can't…focus, thought Nica as she struggled to take hold of her senses to come up with an answer.

"Hey, did you hear me?"

"I'm…trying to…" she managed to say as her eyes rolled to the back of her head before her body began to rigorously convulse uncontrollably.

"Tails, what's going on?!"

x~X~x

"She's having a seizure!" exclaimed Tails in shock before he suddenly stood and grabbed a vial from the fridge and a syringe to fill it with the contents.

The alarm went off and placed an image on the screen: Angel Island being approached by Dr. Eggman.

"Uh oh…"

"How dare he?!" howled Knuckles in anger as he glided out of the room and soon out of the structure in a rush to protect his island.

The fox ignored his sudden departure prior to handing the syringe to Shadow and explaining as hurriedly as he could to both hedgehogs on what to do.

x~X~x

Falling was what it felt like in the darkness before an image flashed into her view of a feline mouthing two words just as it vanished from sight.

x~X~x

Sonic dashed in to hold Nica down from moving too much as Shadow took the syringe and injected the medication into her through her arm before the motion from her body ceased and returned to its previous state.

Which wasn't getting them anywhere, but back to the first step.

Amy had been panicking from the sudden occurrence until she realized that the situation had changed and immediately hugged Sonic for a sense of relief. "Oh Sonic, I was so worried!"

The blue hedgehog on the other hand, didn't seem to be enjoying on receiving the near death hug as he tried to tell her that everything was under control now.

Shadow kept his focus on Nica, whose breathing was partially shallow.

Several moments passed before Tails entered the room with an oxygen tank and an oxygen mask that was placed upon her face to help her breathe more easily.

"Alright, explain what just happened?!"

Not now, thought Tails.

"Calm down-"

"How, can I possibly do that after witnessing what she just went through?!"

"Will you let me talk?"

Amy stayed quiet.

"I didn't realize that when she was given the ecstasy, she was dehydrated, but that was fixed with the IV fluid given to her at the hospital. Yet, her sodium levels were drastically lowered with the pain medication that was given to her after the surgery. By the way, what was it that you were trying to confirm?"

x~X~x

Fifteen minutes ever gradually passed as she continuously searched for the answers to her numerous questions, yet just as she thought she'd found a lead she dragged out of the world of oblivion back to reality.

"She's waking up."

"Is she alright?"

"Give her a moment."

The stares upon her were easily felt before she opened her eyes. "What happened?"

Once the explanation was done, she gave them permission to look at the wounds at the top of her back. Amy carefully removed the three miniature bindings to reveal what she'd suspected for the longest time now confirmed.

The cause the girl's symptoms had been injected.

"What do we do now?"

"I guess we could…"

Shadow nodded in his direction from his position by the door.

"Though…"

"What's wrong pal?"

"I haven't tested it yet."

"Hmm…"

They're not talking about making…, thought Amy.

Me into a guinea pig?! Thought Nica. My day just gets more interesting by the second.

"It depends on what she decides," mentioned Tails as he came towards her and presented a vial. "This is what I managed to create to reverse your paralyzation; however I can't guarantee that it'll work."

"Well…"

Amy positioned herself in front of the intelligent fox. "Are you really considering on offering this to her? What if it makes her forget more or worse?"

Bye Nica, she heard within her mind all of the sudden before she recalled the memory as a blank expression crossed her face.

The blue hedgehog's attention was caught. "Hey, you okay?"

"Not sure yet," she responded, "but I think I remembered something."

"What did you remember?"

She looked at the sable hedgehog. "My name; It's Nica."

The only two quarreling in the room soon stopped to listen as well.

"How were you able to recall that?"

She pondered for several seconds as she replayed the image in her mind. "I felt as if I was falling, but it was from the opening of a ship and standing there was a gray cat. She mouthed two words, except I couldn't tell what they were because everything in that moment was silent. When I heard Amy mention something about forgetting, I heard the sound of the two words: Bye Nica within my mind."

"Strange isn't it?"

Everyone looked towards Sonic.

"I mean the main first thing that she manages to remember is her name. Doesn't it seem-"

"Intentional?"

"Gee, thanks for finishing Shadow."

Tails ignored them as he realized something. "Of course!"

"Spill Tails, but it better not be risky."

He rolled his eyes. "No, I'm thinking that it's similar to amnesia, often the memories that are recollected first are the most recent. However…"

Sonic knew that the rest of the information wasn't exactly to be guaranteed as great.

"How could they have known?"

"You don't think…?"

Shadow already had a guess, "Experimentation."

Nevermind, most likely I already was a guinea pig before coming here.

"So…what do we do?"

"There's still the option of-"

"Don't even try it Tails."

"But it is theoretically possible."

"If there is a chance, you have my permission."

Amy whirled to face her. "Are you insane?"

"Maybe, but how else do you expect to find the ones that caused this? I mean if they could pull off what they've done to me, what else could they have prepped?"

It's obvious that she isn't going to be convinced to do otherwise, thought she while sighing in defeat.

"Alright Tails, you can dose her."

He lifted an eyebrow wondering if it really was Amy speaking before injecting his concoction into Nica's body.

The stiffness that had so strongly held her muscles soon loosened and practically vanished.

"Try to stand, but not too fast."

"Um…is it normal to feel some numbness?" she asked as she began to stand with some difficulty.

"It shouldn't last long."

Just as she completed the task the effect began to wear off and her body experienced the sensation as when after one's limbs have stopped falling asleep, which caused her to nearly collapse.

To assist her, Amy caught hold her to not let her fall again until the pain ceased, which was noticed when her eyes expressed the relief her body felt.

"Try to walk if you can."

Ugh, that Shadow, thought Amy.

Several steps were taken before she quickened her pace and tried to challenge herself. "Should I run or wait longer?"

"I wouldn't be so rushed," answered Amy as she helped her back into the wheel chair before Tails checked for any signs of a reaction or issue from his formula.

"Well it worked."

"So far it seems to be."

And so the jolly moment is short lived, thought Sonic.

"What do we do now?"

I'm guessing keeping an eye on me is on the list, she thought.

It was, when the group spoke of their plan in a different room for safety matters, until they returned and informed her of several extra details.

She was to remain with the pink hedgehog along with a GPS anklet for the most obvious reason, which was suspicion; but also to observe her status were for anything to occur.

"Are you sure you want to walk your way home Amy?"

"It's fine Tails. Besides, I'd promised Cream and Cheese I'd go visit them today.

Wonder what she's up to? Thought Sonic.

x~X~x

The fact that Amy was quite a chatterer obviously didn't allow the silence between the two girls to last long. "What do you think of this place?"

Nica had been actually thinking of ways on how to find the very beings that purposely made her forget the true identity she once had. The sound of the high pitched voice broke her train of thought before she found something to reply with.

"It's quite pure to put it simply, yet it's somewhat familiar. I'm not sure why though."

She's recalling something at least, thought Amy.

"How so?"

"I mean the environment might have been similar to something of my past, but I don't know where it exactly applies."

She doesn't let much show when she's thinking, thought Amy as she watched the girl gazing into the distance.

"By the way, who's Cream and Cheese?"

"Oh, Cream's a brown colored rabbit, while Cheese is a blue chao with pink wings."

Amy figured that by her perplexed look she wasn't familiar with the last term.

"You'll see when you meet them."

x~X~x

Nica persistently stared at the rabbit and hedgehog as they endlessly spoke to each other about numerous things from the recent heroicness Sonic and the others displayed against Dr. Eggman, to occasions that were coming closer.

She'd figured during her wait, who Cheese was and didn't try to approach or speak to her for she immediately noticed her distrust towards her.

When they touched the subject of shopping and glanced at the violet furred female, she was cornered.

"Don't you agree that her outfit needs to be changed Cream?"

"We could take her to that plaza in town."

A smile crept onto Amy's young face. "Then it's settled."

Yeah that I'm invisible apparently, thought Nica as sighed hopelessly.

x~X~x

"Is this necessary?" she asked as she showed them what they'd chosen for her to wear. "It looks like a way to waste your time."

If they were taken aback by her response, they didn't reveal it and urged her to try some more. In honesty she didn't like anything of what she'd been trying on for the past hour.

Having found a chance to be alone, she started sneaking out of the dress aisle towards a different section before Cheese reproached her.

"I get it; you think I'm running away. If you haven't noticed already, I have a tracking device on me," she stated showing him the anklet. "So I can't really go anywhere as I please for your information."

Annoyed and having finished her explanation, she went to the shorts and shirts area to look around. There, more things caught her attention compared to the previous place, yet the chao followed her.

The screeching of a cart suddenly made her freeze just as she was about to walk towards another rack close by. It brought forth another image to her mind, where she found herself unlocking an opening before being struck on the back and falling out.

What 's wrong with her? Thought Cheese.

"There you are!"

The footsteps drew nearer before she realized what was going on. It was as if she'd come out of a dream once she'd heard Cream and Amy's remarks of her conduct.

"What do you think you are doing?"

"Um…looking for clothes."

"Well, it wasn't nice of you to leave without saying anything."

"Each time I was about to, the two of you would cut me off by asking me to try something else on."

Both stayed silent for a while, realizing that Nica wasn't being fooled by their innocent attitudes.

"I understand that you like playing dress up, but I'd prefer to wear something I'm more comfortable in. However, I'm grateful that you are willing to help me purchase what I may wear."

She's probably the first I've met that isn't into dresses, thought Amy.

"Why don't you like dresses?"

"I guess from a previous experience that's somewhere in my mind, it's just not comfortable in my opinion, and limits my mobility for the most part."

"Depends on the dress though."

"Are you trying to convince me to buy a dress?"

Both Amy and Cream looked at each other guiltily.

She rolled her eyes at the silent answer. "Don't tell me you're planning to make a deal now?"

"Quit reading our minds Nica!"

By the lost expression on her face, Amy realized that it wasn't really an ability she had, just a strong capability to predict things.

"Please."

The violet hedgehog looked at Cream and her pleading eyes. There'd been a phrase she'd heard that could describe them, but she wasn't able to remember what it was.

"What's the look called?" she asked pointing toward the rabbit's expression.

Amy was surprised that Cream's ability to manipulate people wasn't affecting their guest at all whatsoever.

It actually was though; simply that Nica wasn't showing it. In truth she wanted to laugh, but she knew it would be considered rude and offensive.

"On Earth, it's called puppy dog eyes I think."

"Earth?"

"It's one of the planets my friends and I have been to."

"Oh."

"It's a lovely place, though it's very far."

"Sounds…interesting."

"What's the pause for?"

Oh I don't know because I have no idea what it looks like, thought she.

"Well, what would you have preferred me say?"

"Hm…touché."

Touché? She thought with a blank expression on her face.

Amy sighed in frustration. "It means that you've made a valid point in the argument."

"Oh…Thanks…"

Cheese suddenly cried and caught everyone's attention.

"What's she saying?"

x~X~x

"As if I didn't have enough to deal with," muttered the crimson echidna while he kicked off the remains of the robots from the temple.

"Hey bud!"

When he looked down, he saw his best friend/rival waving. "What are you doing here?"

"Just wondering what you think of the new girl Nica?"

"If you have a crush on her, don't ask me for advice."

"What? No! I'm talking about if you trust her?"

"No."

"How come?"

"I don't like how she can't seem to remember almost anything before coming here."

"Why was it different with Shadow?"

"I guess when I met him…he seemed lost even though his loyalty to Dr. Eggman was strong before he fully remembered who he was."

"What is it that you see in her?"

"Someone who doesn't appear to be as lost as they make it sound."

x~X~x

The main cabinet door slid open as she walked in holding a clear cube.

He turned around and quickly comprehended her reason for arriving. "Are the results as expected?"

"Beyond sir."

"Let me see."

Once he received the cube, he stretched it out and read of what was concluded so far from the data collected earlier. "I have another task for you," he mentioned.

"Yes, sir?"

"Decide on what to do about Lezzet. Her assistance is no longer needed here."

She smirked immorally at the opportunity, "Of course Commander."

"You may go," he stated and she left.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Tails have you figured it out yet?"

"That's the thing, each time I think I'm getting close, I'm at a dead end. I think that whoever these people are, they're playing with us."

"What do you mean?"

"How is it possible that they were able to travel to Earth and come here without chaos control? It just looks as if it's a game to them. All they took from Nica, if that really is her name, was a miniature sample of her skin, bone, and muscle tissue. Nothing more, yet that's all it they took from her and don't seem to be in too much of a hurry to get her back. Practically, everything else we've learned seemed intentional for us to know."

"You may have a point, but I think there's more to it than just a bit of fun for them," stated Sonic as he looked over to Shadow.

"Agreed."

Tails sighed, "So, how should we continue from there?"

"The only lead we have is Nica, but-"

"She should have remembered something else by now."

"Wait a sec-" Sonic was about to say before it hit him: Of course, Shadow's lost his memory twice before, so he knows how this works already, he thought. "Alright, we'll bring her back here then."

x~X~x

"Honestly, was this necessary?"

"I don't care if you don't want it, it's still going to be purchased," said Amy as she turned her head away in annoyance. "Or else, we won't purchase the outfit that you actually want."

"I think it looks very pretty," commented Cream as Cheese agreed with her. "Nice choice Cheese."

Nica couldn't really agree, nor could she bother to think much on the dress. Her thoughts were concentrated on finding the very being that altered her memorization, but she wasn't sure on how to start.

x~X~x

As the group of four headed out, they felt an immediate gust of wind from one direction before it struck them from the opposite side.

The instant it stopped, standing before them was Sonic. "We need to take Nica back to the lab."

"What for?"

"You'll see."

Should I bother to be excited?

"Will it take long?"

"Don't worry Amy; I'll leave her by your place when we're done."

x~X~x

A beam of light shone within Tails' lab as two figures came forth from it.

"We're here."

"Took you long enough."

"What's-"

"Seriously, not now you guys," demanded Tails as before turning his attention to Nica. "Have you felt any side effects from the treatment that I gave you?"

When she shook her head no, he continued, "Is there anything else you've remembered since the last time we saw you?"

"Actually there was something more I was able to recall. While I was searching for some clothes, I heard the sound of a screeching cart and then saw myself unlocking and opening a large metal door before I felt something hit me from behind and cause me to fall forward towards your planet."

"Hm…" It's more information, but it isn't enough to lead us very far, he thought.

"Well Tails?"

He shook his head as a response to the blue hedgehog's question.

Then, a thin, small metal pipe fell was knocked off from Tails'.

A high pitched sound coursed through the air, but stopped when the blue blur made a casual save and returned it to it's location.

However, it had done more than annoy everyone's ears.

Shadow and Sonic quickly noted the immediate change of expression on her face before Tails turned and saw as well.

She was reliving the moments prior to her recent memory up to the point where she broke out of the frozen chamber before losing sync and crashing back into present time. "Ow, my head," she murmured as she placed a hand to her forehead in an attempt to keep her world from spinning around her.

x~X~x

When she finished explicating in epic detail what she'd seen, they had a better idea at what they were going to have to deal with. It didn't change the possibility that she could have been lying the whole time though.

However, since there were several blanks, they were unsure as to how she rapidly found herself from one situation to another.

"It's possible that the distance from the chamber of the door was not far and that the obstacles made it seem so."

"Maybe, but I don't know for sure Tails."

There were many possibilities thrown into the conversation that could fill in the gaps, but few seemed quite likely.

"I'm sure we've done enough going at it for a while now. Anything more we should try to figure out guys?"

"She can go."

"Come on, I'll take you back to Amy's house now."

x~X~x

For Amy, waiting was an agonizing experience when it came to Sonic, and she was ever slowly losing her patience, until she heard a knock on the door.

When she opened it, her face brightened at the sight of him and she couldn't help, but catch him off guard with another hug.

Oh great…not again, he thought as he tried not fall from the sudden force that had struck him.

Nica simply stared with a bit of a skeptical look as she watched them both. How strange, she thought.

When the pink hedgehog finally let go, she was about to say goodbye, but Sonic had dashed off before she could. "How rude!"

As the purple hedgehog walked inside, she saw the various elements that decorated the interior of Amy's house before hearing some noise in the back.

"Oh, Cream and Cheese are here helping me prepare dinner. I'm sure you'll love it," she said as she pulled out a chair. "Here, take a seat."

She would've replied no, but she didn't want to be rude to her host. "Okay."

The scent of fresh food filled the air of the living room and made Nica wonder what they could possibly be cooking as a meal.

"Ta Da!" cried Amy as she along with Cream and Cheese brought in the dinner with delight.

What is all that? She thought, awing at the food.

Don't tell me she has no idea what food is now either, thought Amy as she observed Nica from where she stood.

Cream quickly read Nica's mind and started clearing away the cloud of confusion in her head by telling her what the meal consisted of.

Even though she was a tad familiar with some of the ingredients, most of what she was told was still foreign to her.

x~X~x

"So what did you think of it?"

"It was quite delectable, thank you," responded Nica with a polite smile.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it."

"Chao."

"What did she say?"

I think they're beginning to get along, thought Cream as she smiled affably at them. "She says you're welcome."

The second Nica was about to say something, the window by the table broke and shards of glass flew across the room. As they were shielding themselves from the debris, something snatched Amy's arm and attempted to pull her away.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!"

What…is that? Thought Nica.

She was going to yell for Cream to move, but the young rabbit and her chao had prepared an attack. She had flown up and held her chao like a baseball pitcher before throwing her at the machine in an attempt to save her friend.

Unfortunately, the plan backfired and soon Cheese was caught too; but in that second, the machine was distracted enough for Nica to sneak up on it and give it a hard kick at the joint of the arm that held Amy.

"Use your hammer Amy!" cried Cream, once she was free.

She nodded and summoned forth her weapon before striking the robot.

The impact left a large dent in the machine, yet it still wasn't enough to put it out of commission for it struck Amy in the face fierce enough that it knocked her out cold.

"Get away from her!" screamed Nica as she started to aim a ceramic plate at the robot that was trying to approach the pink hedgehog and take her weapon.

"You'll hit Cheese. Don't do it."

I can't take this thing on with the condition I'm in, thought she as she looked at Cream.

"Alright then, keep it distracted; I have an idea."

The young rabbit was hesitant to help for she feared that Nica was going to leave them behind.

"Just trust me; I'm not going to run."

"Okay…"

The purple hedgehog ducked under the table with a knife and started tampering with the anklet, in hope that it would raise some sort of alarm.

x~X~x

"What?!" exclaimed Tails as he woke up from the sudden earsplitting sound.

When his thoughts were on track, the young fox soon realized that the source wasn't from the city being attacked by Eggman.

x~X~x

"Oh for crying out loud!" uttered Nica as she searched for something to throw or strike the machine with without harming Cheese.

"Ungh…" murmured Amy as she began to wake up.

In the process, she strived to seize her weapon. Nonetheless, a claw soon approached her. It was blocked by a ceramic plate thrown by Nica until it took the opportunity to grab Amy's leg before practically flinging her across the room.

"Amy!"

"Get her out of here; I'll try to get Cheese!"

"But-"

"Do it Cream!" cried she, while attempting to throw other objects at the robot without injuring the chao.

When she decided to try and recover Cheese, she couldn't dodge the last attack, which struck her wound and caused it to bleed again. "Shoot!"

Ignoring the sudden agony coursing through her body, she grabbed a knife and headed outside in the opposite direction of Cream to give her time to get away.

"You think you're so smart don't you?"

She froze as another memory was being replayed in her head.

Darn it, not now.

What's wrong with her?!

"What in the…world are you?"

Depictions of herself reliving her escape from the ship flowed through her mind, but it overwhelmed her by so much that by the time realized that the machine's arm was nearby, it had already struck her.

x~X~x

"Cream! What happened?!" exclaimed Sonic as he spotted her. "Where's Cheese?!"

"We were attacked by a robot and Amy got hurt before it took Cheese hostage. Nica stayed behind to get her back."

"Come on, I'll get you to the hospital faster."

"What about-"

"Tails is probably already on his way over there. Now hurry!"

x~X~x

This just gets more frustrating by the minute, she thought as she reacted in time to land safely enough, since the attack had also struck her ankle.

Suddenly she felt a strong gust of wind and as she looked up, she noticed an unfamiliar craft, but as it came closer she realized that Tails was the pilot.

What is she doing? She isn't in any state to fight! Thought he.

As he aimed to shoot her opponent, the young fox realized that within one of the machine's claws was something struggling to free itself.

Cheese.

I could throw a smoke bomb, but if it can see through infrared, Nica could be taken hostage too, he thought. Wait a sec…

x~X~x

She was managing by avoiding most of the more vicious attacks, but her reaction time was beginning to slow from the effects she was experiencing from the blood loss.

"Nica, when I tell you, close your eyes!"

"Okay!" she screamed back just as she barely averted another strike.

"Now!"

When she did, a huge flash bomb was dropped before the machine to distract it.

She figured what Tails was doing and quickly used the last of her strength to grab Cheese out of the machine's grasp.

When he saw the opportunity, Tails began to fire at the machine with his lazer guns, in hopes that it could penetrate the exterior.

Smoke filled the battlefield and as it cleared, it was obvious that what Tails was doing, was only slowing the robot down, but not enough to make her reaction time seem faster.

Just as she was about to be struck by another claw, Cheese rapidly lifted her off the ground to dodge it. "Thanks."

"Chao."

Now what? Thought they for there wasn't much they could do: Nica was currently in no condition to continue fighting, while Cheese knew she couldn't attack without becoming a hostage again.

"Chao!"

"What is it?" she probed before saw the sudden blue glow just as it approached the battle and blocked an attack.

"Is that the best you got?"

"You better watch your back Sonic; this definitely isn't one of Dr. Eggman's bots," advised Tails as he tried to find a weak spot.

"Good luck on trying."

"I don't need it from you, thanks."

In an instant, it struck again; but different compared to when it was attacking her. Its arms were more outstretched than before and moved less quickly. They made it seem like Sonic was much faster than before, but there was something else planned.

A trap.

Nica was going to scream to him to move away from the machine, when all the claws that had supposedly missed the blue hedgehog, came together to form a cage and entrap him with electricity filling any escapable gaps.

He immediately realized the jam he was in, just as the voltage increased. "Gah!...Tails…a little help here!"

The young fox was desperately wanting to, but he knew he couldn't fire at the machine without making Sonic's situation worse than it already was.

I need something to disrupt that current!

Just then, a flash of electricity struck the machine and interrupted the other current that was keeping Sonic from escaping.

He rapidly began setting himself up for the final blow. "Got a ring on you Shadow?"

The glimmering golden ring was thrown to him as the robot began to steady itself from the attack. Upon grabbing it, Sonic began to spin as rapidly as the other day at the beach before aiming towards the robot and blasting it to pieces.

Another gust of wind was felt as Tails landed the X Tornado. "You guys okay?"

"We're fine, but I don't know about Nica and Cheese."

"Yeah, we're still alive," she replied as Cheese smiled and agreed.

"You might need to fix up though," stated Tails as he pointed to her wound.

"Joy, another field trip to the hospital…"

x~X~x

"Could you explain again how exactly the wound reopened?"

Nica gave a quiet laugh. "I got attacked by a robot."

"Hm…" murmured Doctor Fiora as she cleaned the wound after removing the bandages, "No doubt it was Dr. Eggman up to something, but with Sonic around, there's no need to worry."

Then how in the world did I end up injured? Thought Nica. I mean he can't do _all_ the saving on his own, it's not exactly the easiest job in the world, you know? He has friends to help him out.

"Doesn't look as if you've damaged anything else," said the doctor as she patched up the rest of the area with a needle and some special thread. Once she finished, she made some knots and then cut the thread close to the fur. "That should do it."

"Thank you. By any chance do you know of a patient named Amy Rose?"

"Oh yes, she came in two hours before you. Would you like to see her?"

"I'd very much appreciate it."

Looking out into the hallway, the doctor pointed to an elevator. "Press the second floor and take a left towards the room numbered two-twenty-one. I'd take you there myself, but I have some other patients waiting to be seen and all the nurses are currently occupied."

"That's alright. Thanks," replied Nica as she clicked the up button and waited a moment before she entered the shaft and went to the second floor.

x~X~x

"How are you feeling Amy?"

"I'm alright, just a concussion, that's all, aside from some bruises."

As Nica looked around the room, the only people present, aside from themselves, were Cream and Cheese.

"They're out picking up the leftover pieces, so Tails can analyze it."

"Oh…"

"Chao," cried Cheese as she jumped onto Nica's head to give her a hug.

"She's saying thank you again," stated Cream as she tried to hold in a laugh.

"Yes…I noticed…You're…welcome."

x~X~x

"Are you sure you need all of them Tails?"

"Every last fragment."

"Alright then," said the blue blur as he began to increase his speed to widen his search along with Shadow.

Yet, only five seconds passed by when the black hedgehog suddenly stopped. "Tails, what is this?"

The yellow fox flew over to his position to inspect his discovery.

Pieces of the machine before them were slowly coming together and repairing themselves.

"I'm not sure…"

x~X~x

"What did you guys find?" asked Amy after she and the others were transported to Tails lab through Chaos Control by Shadow, since he was more experienced.

But most of the eyes in the room turned their focus on the violet hedgehog standing near the middle of the room.

"It's called nanotechnology."

"How long have they been developing it?" inquired the dark furred hedgehog with a look of suspicion on his face.

"For several years, but I'm not sure exactly how many."

"How do you know about it?" piped Tails as he worked to check if the container with parts was completely sealed.

What am I supposed to say? Oh, I just happened to always be the one watching the experiments going on with almost every subject dying, except…with me because they somehow happened to malfunction at that time and apparently the only time.

"Everytime they caught me escaping, they always brought me through the hall where they experimented with creatures from various planets."

"What about you?" asked the blue hedgehog.

"I'm not exactly sure what they might've done to me."

Shadow noticed the hesitation she expressed following Tails' and Sonic's question. What is she hiding?

Amy sighed. "Can you get to the part about what you exactly found guys?"

The yellow fox rolled his eyes at the pink hedgehog. And I thought Sonic was impatient, he thought. "The robot we just defeated…is already repairing itself with no assistance."

"What?" exclaimed Cream and Cheese. Amy stood stunned. "And you're sure that they have no relation to the Metarex?"

"I'm sure," he replied. However, I'm still not sure what it is exactly that they're looking for on this planet, he thought.

x~X~x

"Hello there, Nica. You haven't changed," suddenly stated the machine as it caught sight of her. "The commander looks forward to what you'll do next."

Anger burned through her like electricity as it attempted to find some escape from her body. "Mirage…"

"By the way, thank you for the lovely sample you've given us. It's given quite a fascinating amount of data to work with to keep up with your progress."

"My progress?"

A cold chuckle was heard before the recording ended.

That was definitely awkward, thought Sonic.

"Why I oughta-" began Amy as she took out her hammer.

She shouldn't be doing that, thought Tails, who knew the possible outcome of her action.

As predicted she almost fell on herself as she attempted to lift it.

Cream and Cheese helped her keep from falling. "Don't push yourself. You're still recovering from the battle."

"Did they just track us?"

"No, the machine merely activated a recording when it saw Nica. It can't send a signal yet. It's far too damaged for that."

"Then, what should we do with it Tails?"

"I could overload the programming; however I won't be able to do much if I can't translate the language it's in. It'll probably take a few days. I'll have to leave it in the shield room to assure that it can't signal the ship once it repairs itself."

x~X~x

As Nica waited for Amy at the entrance of the lab, she stared at the ground, trying to evaluate her situation, when she suddenly felt a hand grab her right arm. "Can I have a word with you?"

"Sure…" she turned to Cream and Cheese and said she'd be back in a few moments before being pulled away by the sable hedgehog.

x~X~x

This can't be good, thought Nica when they entered another room.

He released his grip on her arm. "What more do you know about the nanotechnology?"

"What-?"

"I saw the knowledge in your eyes before you tried to hide it."

More like saw through her and read her mind.

She sighed out of frustration. "I admit it. The main reason I ever knew of the nanotechnology's existence was because I was one of their experiments. For some reason however, it malfunctioned within my body, while the other subjects…encountered worse."

"How do you know?"

"Because they made me watch it happen…"

"Who's Mirage?"

"She's the feline from my memory that told me my name and is a soldier for someone called the Commander, though I've never laid eyes on him."

"Is that all you're able to conjure?"

Nica was taken a bit aback by the trust he had in her, which was lesser than what the rest probably had.

"Do you want me to make up something to make you believe I have more than that?"

"Unless: you already have been making it up?"

x~X~x

When she was dropped off at the entrance, Amy was already there. "Ready to go?"

"As ready I'll ever be."

And soon they were transported back to Cream and Cheese's house, which wasn't too far from Amy's.

"Thank you Shadow," said the polite rabbit.

"No problem," he replied before he vanished from sight.

The pink hedgehog began unlocking the door. "So what did you two have to talk about?"

"He was just asking if there had been anything else I remembered."

The door clicked open. "I'd ask what it was but we should get some sleep for now and then talk more in the morning."

"Sure," she added with a smile.

x~X~x

As she lay on the bed by the window, Shadow's words kept repeating through her mind before she made a decision.

Slowly, yet quietly she got off the bed and went towards the closest window to her. It took a few minutes to unlock it without waking anyone before she climbed out of it and closed it shut.

She hesitated at first, but after a few seconds she began to walk away from the house. When she knew she was away enough to not be heard…

She ran.

x~X~x

A few hours later, sunlight shined through Amy's room to awaken her.

Once the pink hedgehog stood up and stretched, she got dressed, and headed for the kitchen to see what could be prepared for breakfast, but Vanilla the Rabbit had beaten her to it.

"Good morning dear, I heard you four come in last night and thought up to cook you all a lovely breakfast."

"You didn't have to Vanilla, but that's very kind of you."

"Don't worry; it's not often that I get to cook a variety of foods for breakfast, so it's a good opportunity."

"Are you sure you don't need any help?"

"Well…you could set up the table and then wake the others to eat."

"Sure," agreed Amy with a grin before she grabbed five knives, forks, spoons, and napkins and placed them on the wooden table. Soon after she added glasses, plates, and positioned a jug of milk and orange juice at the center. "It's all set."

"Thank you so much dear," said the mother rabbit as she completed cooking some eggs, "you can go wake the others now."

"Alright then."

The door creaked open to where Cream and Cheese slept. "Wake up girls! Breakfast is ready!"

The light brown rabbit's ears perked up at the sound of her friend's voice. "We'll be ready in a few minutes."

Amy closed the door with a smirk on her face as she headed toward Nica's room.

The door swung loosely open, "Hey breakfast is- what?" she cried when she saw the bed with no sign of Nica.

x~X~x

"You're kidding?"

"I'm not, unfortunately. She's missing and I don't have a clue as to where she went. Any ideas?"

"Hm…you think she got spooked by that recording?"

"Honestly, she looked more pissed than anxious when she heard it."

"Sonic has a point there, but why would she just leave?"

"What else was it that she remembered? Did Shadow tell you?"

"No, I thought he'd left."

"Just as we were getting ready to leave he pulled her into another room to speak with her. She came back fine, but now that I think of it, she did seem a little too fine."

"You sure she's not trying to betray us Amy?"

"It does seem hard to trust her, but she saved Cream and I. Plus, she even fought to get Cheese back."

"I know, but when she alerted me to come, she'd broken the tracker."

At this, Cream spoke up. "You think she had this planned the whole time?"

The young fox sighed. "Maybe."

She had no response to that because then she remembered what Nica had said to her during the battle:

" _Just trust me; I'm not going to run."_

The blue hedgehog got up and headed out. "I'll go look for her."

x~X~x

As the morning progressed, the sky darkened and strong winds began to weave through town.

Shadow looked up from where he stood before a streak of brilliant cyan came towards him and drew a halt right beside him.

"What happened yesterday?"

"What are you getting at Sonic?"

"Amy said that you spoke to Nica about her memories. Why?"

"She didn't tell you everything in the room. When I spoke to her, she added more to what she had said before I questioned her honesty about her memories."

"Well it looks like she might've taken your words to heart. She's been missing since this morning. Mind helping me find her?"

"Head North and I'll take South," he ordered and rushed off.

Did I even have to ask?

x~X~x

Waves continuously clashed against the rocks sea and increased in height as the storm brewed over the ocean.

Nica sat within the cove she'd found with her knees against her chest and left arm placed between them while staring at the scenery before her. I don't really know who I am, do I?

There was no desire to cry lingering at her heart; she'd already lost the ability to make tears…after being tortured for so long.

That, she was sure was not a false memory.

x~X~x

"See anything Tails?"

"No Cream. How about you Amy?"

"Nothing here either."

In an instant, the screen started to bleep very rapidly.

"Is that her tracker working?"

"No…there's a storm coming."

"Then step on it Tails!"

The yellow fox gave a nervous look to her command, but obeyed anyway. Somehow I have a feeling that I'm going to regret this, he thought.

x~X~x

As Shadow looked across town, he figured that she would've probably gone where no one would be likely to see her, but was it possible to have gone out of range so quickly in her condition?

Not unless she had speed like him and Sonic, and as impossible it seemed, it was capable of filling in the gaps within the memory of her escape from the ship.

His attention then turned towards the forest by High Rise Beach before he sped off and continued to search.

x~X~x

I can't stay here; I need to get to higher ground, she thought, or else she'd drown from the coming of the storm…if she didn't freeze to death first.

Leaping was her best bet, since climbing would only risk reopening her wound again. When she reached the cliffs over the beach, she started to speed across the area in search for a sturdy shelter; yet all that qualified…soon didn't when they were torn apart.

"This is just frustrating," she muttered as she sped through the forest, but as she made a left turn, something blocked her way and forced her to go right. However, upon doing so: she lost her balance and tripped on a tree root before falling to her side, while an arm seized her and eased her landing.

"What in the world?"

"I found you."

Her eyes widened at the recognition of the voice before she sat up and backed away. "You don't know if I'm a traitor or not. So what if I do something wrong with or without you expecting it? Just pretend you didn't find me and leave me alone."

He held out his hand to her. "Either you'll freeze or get struck by lightning from what I can think of, so make your decision on if you really wish to stay or not."

"How can I trust you?" I don't even know if I can trust myself.

"I've lost my memory twice before, so I know what it's like."

The sound of waves crashing against the rocks increased.

"Why…did you ask me that yesterday?"

"After losing your memory twice before: it becomes harder to trust outsiders. I guess I judged you too harshly."

"How so?"

"If you had really been making it up, you wouldn't be here."

She pondered for a moment as rain began to fall on them before she sighed.

"You've made your point," she declared as she took his hand.

"Chaos Control."

x~X~x

The X Tornado experienced turbulence as it flew closer to the edge of the sea from a different angle when the screen bleeped once more.

"We get it already. The storm's getting worse."

"No Amy, it's coming from the lab."

When he activated the screen, Shadow's face appeared.

"She's here at the lab with me," he said before he disconnected.

"What a relief-" began Amy just as a strike of lightning almost touched the plane.

Both girls yelled in surprise, while Tails tried to steer away from the coming storm as debris began to block his view.

I figured just as much, he thought.

x~X~x

Amy was the first to ambush Nica with hug at Tails' lab before Cream and Cheese.

"Can't…breathe," Nica fought to say.

"Sorry," apologized Amy as she and the rest let go. Then, the pink hedgehog quickly turned her attention to Shadow. "And you!"

Great, she's mad now, thought Sonic as he sighed.

"What did you tell to her last night?"

"Please, calm down Amy," pleaded Tails, concerned that his lab was now at risk of being destroyed by her rage, even if she still couldn't use her hammer.

Shadow meanwhile looked bored rather than anxious at Amy's fury. "I simply questioned the legitimacy of her memories. Nothing more."

Nica then interrupted. "Seriously Amy, everything's fine now."

She gave her an expectant expression. "Explain what happened then."

"After the conversation, I wasn't sure on what to believe, so I ran away to try and gather my thoughts, but even that didn't really get me far, until Shadow found me."

"Oh…"

Nica noted the look of relief come across her face. "What did you think? That I had this planned from the start or something?"

Is she sure she can't read minds?

"Since you broke the tracker during the battle, and ran off after battling with the machine, we thought that that was a possibility," explicated the blue blur.

"I broke it?"

"Not completely, just the transmitter among a few other things."

Whoops.

"Shadow, why exactly did you question her memories?"

"There was something else she hadn't mentioned."

All eyes except his fell on her.

She sighed while trying not to avoid eye contact. "I lied about not knowing what they could have done to me…I was injected with nano cells, however I'm the only subject they've ever malfunctioned in."

"Why did you keep this from us?" asked Cream.

"Because I wasn't sure what to make of it at the time."

"And of course, he had to come in and make it worse."

The black hedgehog simply pretended not to hear what Amy had said.

"From what I can tell: he never intended it to affect her the way it did."

"Sonic how can you still be on his side?!"

"He's not a villain Amy."

"Hmph!" she exclaimed as she crossed her arms out of frustration. Then the strange silence that followed was broken by Tails, "Well, I still have to run some more diagnostics, so you guys can either go or stay to your liking."

"Don't I need another tracker?"

I don't want to look as if I'm trying to take advantage of the situation by not asking, no matter how much I hate it.

"She can be watched."

Amy looked over to the black hedgehog. "I think that's the first idea from you that I'm actually going to not disagree with."

"Well, it sounds better than treating her as if she's under house arrest."

"Alright then, it's settled. Cream and I will keep an eye on you."

This should be exciting…

x~X~x

"Aaaaaaaaauuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuggggghhh!"

"Are you having fun? I am," mocked a voice in the dim room.

"Please…" begged a weakened Lezzet as she hung upside down from her wrists and ankles being tied together backwards.

"What are you asking for? Mercy?" she rhetorically asked before giving a depraved laugh.

"Are you done yet?!"  
Mirage flinched at the sound of the commander's voice. "Almost sir."

"Then quit dawdling!"

Just when I was having fun, she thought as she gave the signal to end it.

A warning bell sounded before Lezzet was dropped into a small pool of chemical waste to drown in.

"You're sure that the contents won't morph her?"

"Yes ma'm," replied a soldier.

"Good, because if you mess up, the Commander will have you jump in instead. Understood?"

"Crystal."

x~X~x

"They think that it's so easy to defeat me. Well, I've give them something to think about!" declared a tall round figure as he tirelessly worked on his latest creation.

"Um…Dr. Eggman we found the extra parts you were looking for," stated a tall pale bronze thin robot named Decoe as he entered the room with his companion Bocoe, who was gray and much rounder.

He didn't respond.

"Doctor?"

"Hush you two, I'm having a thought!" commanded the vile genius as he motioned them to stop walking towards him.

"Ooohhhhhhh."

When he resumed working they placed the parts on the ground and left.

x~X~x

Cream and Cheese were in the kitchen preparing cookies while Amy held a pan at the ready. "Come on, you've got to be hungry. You haven't eaten since yesterday."

"I'm fine, but thank you for the offer," replied Nica as she returned her attention to the window.

Rain and debris pelt on it as it resisted shaking.

The pink hedgehog sighed at her before approaching her. "Do you want to talk about it?"

The purple hedgehog didn't respond.

"Hey! Snap out of it!"

"Sorry," she said as shook her head to clear her mind.

"You sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know exactly what I'm referring to."

"Are you referring to what happened at the beach when Shadow found me?"

"Yes."

"Hm…I'm not sure what to express."

"Start with telling me what happened."

"I mean-" she started just as Vanilla entered the front door with a bag of groceries. "Oh dear!"

The bag filled with apples slipped out of her arms.

By the time Amy finished blinking Nica was no longer sitting next to her.

"Oh thank you sweetie!"

Catching things with one hand may not have been the best thing to do with a wet floor as the purple hedgehog discovered by trying not to lose her footing.

She felt a strange sensation on her forehead and when she looked up: she realized it was Amy glaring at her. "I didn't lie."

x~X~x

With the storm occurring outside, the blue blur decided to cook up some fresh chili dogs for dinner to pass the time. He hoped it would end just as he finished.

Yet just as he completed preparing his meal…

The power went out.

Well, I'm out of ideas on what to do, he thought as he took a bite out of his first chili dog.

As he sat and enjoyed his meal, Nica came to mind. He began to wonder that maybe the Metarex had returned in a different form, however, he and the others were absolutely sure that they had been destroyed almost two years ago. Furthermore, the robot they fought was determined to complete the task it was on and expressed no amount of fear, unlike Eggman's machines, which made the situation all the more peculiar.

"Now I'm giving myself a headache from thinking too much."

x~X~x

"Why didn't you ever mention this?!"

"There was never really a moment to mention it."

"Is that really your excuse?!"

"She does seem to have a point."

"It's not a real strong one."  
"Shadow didn't freak out when he saw me run."

"It's Shadow we're talking about. He hardly reacts to anything and how come he didn't mention it either?"  
"I don't know. Maybe his reason is like mine or something else. But seriously, what is so shocking about it?!"  
"Sonic and Shadow are the only ones on this planet who have speed. There's never been anyone else."

"Are you honestly implying that I might be related to one of them? There's no way! The ones from the ship would have taken them too, unless…No."

"What?"

She did a face palm and grunted out of frustration. "They would…"

"What are you talking about?"

"If I am from this planet and related to one of them, then it's obvious that the reason I was allowed to escape involves either one or both of them. I just don't know how exactly."

I don't think I'll ever understand these powers of observation.

"That's an awful lot to swallow. How did you deduce that from such a small amount of information?" piped up Vanilla.

"I guess I had to learn how to in order to stay alive wherever I was on that ship."

x~X~x


End file.
